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Alzheimer’s Diagnosis Goes To The Nose

What’s that smell? It could be a new way to diagnose Alzheimer’s early on in life. Researchers have found a new lead while trying to identify the disease early on in life, and it’s all about identifying certain scents.

CNN explains how a new study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2016 found that older adults that struggled to identify smells could have cognitive impairment in the future.

Tests are already in the works to try and create a test that incorporates these findings. Teams from Columbia University are trying to incorporate the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) into the study. Combined with brain scans and UPSIT, researchers were able to discover that those who scored poorly on the smell test also showed signs of mental decline.

As CNN states, the relationship with problems with smelling and brain function is not a novel idea. Yet this study, and others like it, are diving deeper into the details of the disease.